Color: 
#000000
Final week for Tricare open season selection is here

Last week my dentist held an informational meeting for military retirees to help navigate the maze thousands of military families have suddenly found themselves in – choosing their medical coverage through Tricare, otherwise known as open season.

I was the youngest person in the room, by about 20 years. And the consensus among attendees and medical professionals was: this first year of Tricare open season is a confusing one.

As my dentist’s insurance specialist explained, since it is the first time, there isn’t a lot of solid information. The amounts that each plan will pay for each type of service isn’t completely clear which makes it hard to determine what the enrollee’s payout will be after having a root canal or other costly procedure.

Many of us have additional insurance through civilian employers and the mathematical equations to determine which insurance will pay for what are not simple either.

If you haven’t picked your Tricare coverage, your deadline is Dec. 10, so you need to sit down now and review your options.

Determine your needs. If you have small children you most likely won’t need orthodontics yet. Does everyone in your house wear glasses? Take a closer look at the vision plans for the best option to replace frames for small children who may break or lose them more often. 

You may need to spend the next few days on the phone with both Tricare and your secondary insurance through your civilian employer. Who pays for what? Which one is considered your primary (it’s not always Tricare) and is there a waiting period for certain procedures? Some insurances can make you wait up to a year before using your benefits to pay for a larger procedure such as a root canal.

Now is not the time to be afraid to ask questions. Ask them all but be prepared to spend some serious time both on the phone and on the computer reviewing your options.

But be certain, the time is worth it. When you are staring at a costly medical bill and realize you skipped over the coverage that would have left you with a minimal co-pay you will regret not looking at the fine print during open season.

Worried you’ll miss something with the new open season system? Here’s what you need to know:

A few reminders:

  • Open season applies to both active duty and retired service members and their families.
  • If you are happy with your current choice of Tricare plans, you don’t have to do anything.
  • Open season only applies to those with Prime or Select. Other plans, such as Tricare Retired Reserve, Young Adult and Tricare for Life, are not part of the change.
  • After Dec. 10, you’ll have to wait until next year’s open season to make any changes unless you have a “Qualifying Life Event,” or QLE.
  • Open season will happen at approximately the same time each year – from the second week in November until the second week of October.
  • Changes made to your Tricare plan during open season do not take effect until Jan. 1.
  • A QLE is a major life change such as retirement, deployment, marriage, divorce, birth of a child and certain types of PCS moves, among other things.
  • It doesn’t cost anything to switch plans, but you will have to pay any costs associated with the new plan (for example the enrollment fee for Prime).

Need to look over the plans or enroll? Visit https://tricare.mil

Wait, What? Scholarships Are Taxable?

By StatePoint Media

Everyone knows about scholarships. They’re no-strings-attached money to help students pay for their higher education. Right?

Usually, but not always. In some cases, there are significant strings attached -- including situations in which scholarships are treated as taxable income. While unusual, it’s important for students, their families and scholarship providers to understand all the implications.

Tax Status

The tax status of scholarships first codified in 1954 was simple: for students pursuing a degree, all scholarships, fellowships and grants were tax-free. But later legislation specified portions of a scholarship could be taxed if it is considered “fees for services,” or if it’s used for living, travel or research expenses.

What’s more, scholarships for non-degree-candidates are also taxable. As professional certifications and certificate programs become vital to certain industries, experts say these laws put non-traditional students at risk of a heavy tax burden.

The Impact

Some experts say taxing scholarships comes at a cost for students and scholarship providers and even the federal government.

“For students, it can harm their ability to pay for their education,” says Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO of Scholarship America, the nation’s largest nonprofit scholarship and education support organization. “For providers wanting to make the biggest charitable impact, it can make providing scholarships less attractive than alternative philanthropic efforts.”

With most federal financial aid calculations based on the pre-tax value of the scholarship, students risk a shortfall in aid. All of this has a disproportionate impact on low-income students. Those from the bottom income quartile spend the largest percentage of family income on higher education; almost half of that money is spent on the non-tuition costs for which scholarship awards are taxable.

“Taxing scholarship funds may increase government revenue in the short term, but it’s short-sighted,” says financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz. “The federal government benefits financially long-term when students graduate and have the potential to earn more taxable income.”

Should They Be Taxed?

Kantrowitz, along with Scholarship America’s Despina Costopoulos Emerson, say restoring scholarships’ tax-free status will help certificate- and degree-seeking students, and those who must work out of necessity, pursue their education without undue financial burdens.

To learn more about taxing of scholarships visit blog.scholarshipamerica.org.

“Scholarship America and our partners are in ongoing talks with members of Congress, and we hope to see some progress on initiatives that will ensure qualified scholarships are available to students to pay the full cost of education and allow scholarships to be used, tax-fee, to pay for room and board, transportation and other college-related expenses,” says Ballard. “In the meantime, students and their families should research the specifics of all grants, scholarships, fellowships and tuition waivers they are offered in order to understand the true value of their financial aid package after taxes and plan accordingly.”

Tricare Webinar set for Nov. 15

In case you haven’t heard, Tricare is changing.

For the first time, Tricare beneficiaries will participate in an open season, meaning you pick the level of care and the amount of your monthly payment. While an open enrollment is typical for civilian employers, this is a first for the Department of Defense.

For military families who have access to military medical care and an HMO through a spouse’s civilian employer, it is a great time to compare coverage and pick what is truly best for your family and your budget.

Comparing plans and making a decision that can’t be changed until next year’s open enrollment can also feel overwhelming.

Tricare is hosting a webinar to answer questions and explain the process.

The webinar will be held Nov. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

You can register for the webinar at this link:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4375975309006624515

How to help military families displaced by Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael slammed into the Gulf Coast last week and destroyed much of Panama City and the surrounding area.

It also ripped through Tyndall Air Force Base. Officials there announced that every structure on base sustained some level of damage, including military family housing.

Families there were evacuated ahead of the storm and many cannot return for now. Many also lost their on-base homes and all their belongings in the storm.

Leaders in military spouse organizations organized a donation system before the storm was even fully over.

To send supplies to the families who are cleaning, rebuilding and re-settling after the devastating storm, volunteers from nearby bases in Alabama and Florida created two wish lists on Amazon and Target.com

Ordered items are being shipped to the Air Force Enlisted Village, a nearby non-profit organization. Staff there is distributing the donations to military families from the Tyndall AFB area.

To order items for hurricane victims, please visit:

https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/16W28YO332KNO

https://www.target.com/gift-registry/giftgiver?registryId=84aa1c6631804dbd900a01b18b500318&lnk=registry_custom_url

Retirement pay and VA disability compensation to increase in 2019

There was a lot of new information to digest when my husband retired in 2013. A lot of paperwork, a lot of decisions to make and a lot of well, a lot.

A point I missed, and maybe you did too, is that military retiree pay fluctuates with cost of living allowances. So far, that amount has been too miniscule to really notice.

In January, military retirees will receive the largest COLA increase in seven years, a full 2.8 percent pay raise. For those military members at the tippy top of the retirement pay charts that increase could be as much as $369  a month.

For those of us closer to the bottom, the amount isn’t shabby either. For example, according to military.com, retirement pay for an E-7 with 20 years of service will increase by $133 a month. An O-5 with 20 years will receive a $252 increase per month.

According to Military.com, retirees who entered military service on or after Aug. 1, 1986 and opted in for the Career Status Bonus (CSB/Redux retirement plan), have any COLA increases reduced by 1 percent, so they will see a 2019 increase of 1.8 percent or $84 monthly for an E-7 with 20 years of service, or $162 each month for an O-5 with 20 years of service.

Service members receiving VA disability pay will also receive increased checks in the new year. The average VA disability check will go up about $4 per month for those with a 10 percent rating, and $83 for those rated at 100 percent.

How to practice mindfulness at work

My supervisor just spoke to me for a good 15 minutes and I can’t really tell you what he said or why he was hovering over my desk.

Sure, I nodded, smiled, made eye contact and remember even laughing at his jokes. But internally, I was still re-writing the last line of my report, making a list of all the clients I still had to contact before 5 p.m. and trying desperately to remember what we had in the freezer at home that could make a quick meal before soccer practice.

Employees are often stretched thin, especially working parents who may leave the house to work but never fully leave the long, lingering list of parenting and homeowner to do’s far from their mind.

The experts tell us to meditate and focus. These catch phrases make me laugh. With the ever-growing daily list of things I must do I barely have time to run to the restroom, let alone catch a few quiet moments to myself.

But, you can practice being more mindful both on the job and at home. Mindfulness if the act of being aware of the present, which can be harder than it sounds.

Sure, my boss and I were engaged in conversation and while I was listening to him I wasn’t hearing him. Instead, I was thinking about everything else I had to do. Practicing mindfulness means to make an effort to realize your thoughts are wondering away from the current conversation and concentrate fully on the conversation. It takes intent to refocus your thoughts and attention.

Another way to practice mindfulness? Don’t multi-task. It doesn’t work and in fact studies show it makes us less productive. One task at a time, one focus.

Want to learn more about practicing mindfulness on the job? Visit www.mindful.org for tips and mindful exercises you can practice just about anywhere.

You may be eligible for unemployment benefits after a PCS

If your summer PCS has left you jobless and you’ve had no luck hitting the pavement, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits, depending on the state you live in.

Unemployment compensation programs are mandated and run by individual state governments and each have their own set of rules. Eligible unemployed workers receive weekly checks to hold them over until they do find a job and may qualify for other benefits. Generally this compensation is not given to workers who voluntarily quit their jobs.

However, some states offer what is known as “good cause” exceptions to the rule, including quitting  job to PCS with a military member or even to follow a civilian spouse to a new job in a new area.

Here is the 2014 list of state benefit rules:

  • Alabama (military transfer only)
  • Alaska (any job transfer, including military)
  • Arizona (miitary transfer only)
  • Arkansas (any job transfer, including military)
  • California (any job transfer, including military)
  • Colorado (military transfer only)
  • Connecticut (any job transfer, including military)
  • Delaware (any job transfer, including military)
  • D.C. (any job transfer, including military)
  • Florida (military transfer only)
  • Georgia (military transfer only)
  • Hawaii (any job transfer, including military)
  • Illinois (any job transfer, including military)
  • Indiana (any job transfer, including military)
  • Iowa (military transfer only)
  • Kansas (military transfer only)
  • Kentucky (military transfer only)
  • Maine (any job transfer, including military)
  • Maryland (military transfer only)
  • Massachusetts (any job transfer, including military)
  • Michigan (military transfer only)
  • Minnesota (any job transfer, including military)
  • Mississippi (military transfer only)
  • Missouri (military transfer only)
  • Montana (military transfer only)
  • Nebraska (any job transfer, including military)
  • Nevada (any job transfer, including military)
  • New Hampshire (any job transfer, including military)
  • New Jersey (military transfer only)
  • New Mexico (military transfer only)
  • New York (any job transfer, including military)
  • North Carolina (military transfer only)
  • Ohio (any job transfer, including military)
  • Oklahoma (military transfer only)
  • Oregon (any job transfer, including military)
  • Pennsylvania (any job transfer, including military)
  • Rhode Island (any job transfer, including military)
  • South Carolina (any job transfer, including military)
  • South Dakota (military transfer only)
  • Tennessee (military transfer only)
  • Texas (military transfer only)
  • Utah (military transfer only)
  • Virginia (military transfer only)
  • Virgin Islands (any job transfer, including military)
  • Washington (any job transfer, including military)
  • West Virginia (military transfer only)
  • Wisconsin (any job transfer, including military)
  • Wyoming (military transfer only)

These laws are subject to change at any time, check with the individual state for the most current information. To file for unemployment benefits visit your state office as soon as possible after your PCS. To find your state office visit: https://www.dol.gov/general/location

Help for veteran caregivers

Finally, we matter.

For decades, wives, siblings, parents and others have shouldered the extremely heavy weight of caring for injured veterans with little to no help from the military or the federal government.

It seems that the Department of Veterans Affairs may finally have heard our pleas.

Last week the VA announced that it would open a research center for military veteran care givers issues.

Currently the VA provides some caregiver training and offers some pay to family members who have to put their own careers on hold to care for an injured veteran, money paid for out of a budget of more than $500 million. But that fund is hard to access and difficult to qualify for though.

And there are a lot of us who care for our veterans in very different ways.

Some severely injured veterans need 24 hour care. Others are in and out of surgery, leaving families with unpredictable income levels.

Many, like my own husband, sustained injuries serious enough to cause constant pain and require weekly doctor’s visits, sometimes more than one a week. But, are still well enough to be able to hold a job.

The strain of the injury, the overwhelming pain and the stress of trying to continue to work means that when he comes home at night, he goes straight to bed. Weekends are spent bogged down by heavy medication and frequent surgeries leave our financial bottom line questionable.

It also means I have to not only care for my veteran when he is in too much pain to function, but also maintain my fulltime job regardless of his needs, care for our children, our household chores and ferry him back and forth to surgeries. The last one was 92 miles away and nurses required me to be there every morning for four days, with all of our kids in tow.

When he retired I felt like a chain had been lifted and it was my turn to return to my career and grow. Unfortunately my growth has been stagnated again by continued requirements of the military and to caring for my now injured soldier.

There are many spouses like me out there. We have husbands who are broken enough to require constant care that impacts our entire household. But we don’t have husbands injured enough to qualify for any level of assistance – monetary or otherwise.

We are completely alone. And some of us are near broken by the strain.

I’ve told my husband’s doctors, you may save his life, but in doing so, you are ending mine. My own health has suffered, physically and mentally.

The military estimates that there are nearly 5.5 million military veteran caregivers. It is time they start paying attention to us, and the exhaustion caused by the weight of caring for injured veterans and the damage it is causing.

PenFed Credit Union partners with Sallie Mae for college planning and financing

PenFed Credit Union, the second largest federal credit union in the country, has announced a new partnership with Sallie Mae to offer free college planning tools and a full suite of financing options to help PenFed members responsibly pay for college.

The new partnership includes PenFed Scholarship Search, an easy-to-use tool with access to 3 million scholarships worth more than $18 billion. Members can register (free of charge), fill out a brief profile, and receive matches that identify relevant scholarships and their award amounts, application requirements, and deadlines.

“PenFed is committed to helping our members realize their dreams of attending college by assisting them with their financial needs,” said Shashi Vohra, PenFed senior executive vice president and president of affiliated businesses, in a press release. “Partnering with Sallie Mae, we are pleased to expand our student loan portfolio and provide many new financing options and more free college planning tools to our members.”

Through the partnership, PenFed members will now have access to in-school financing through a full suite of competitively-priced options to pay for undergraduate and graduate school.

“We directly address one of our members’ biggest concerns:  how to pay for the expense of higher education,” Vohra said. “Our focus is to continue adding value for our members.”

The partnership builds on PenFed’s student loan options that include a student loan refinancing program allowing borrowers to consolidate loans after college and save through customized repayment terms and low interest rates.

Additonally, PenFed’s Collegiate Funding Solutions planning tool helps members save on the cost of college education by taking the guesswork out of developing a financing strategy and reducing out-of-pocket costs while in-school.

For more information, visit https://www.penfed.org/student-loans.

Thinking about starting your degree? This fall is a great time to begin

The kids are heading back to school soon. Are you considering your own degree program?

Worried that it’s not the right time? Worried about financing those classes? Making time for homework? Not sure you can make it all work?

Bryant & Stratton College can help you make a plan. The school has a long, rich history of working with military spouses and active duty members and veterans. Every student receives personal attention to sort out the details of classwork, homework and financial aid. At Bryant & Stratton College students have direct access to instructors, academic advisors, academic support staff and military family members can work directly with the school’s Military Relations staff for additional questions or concerns.

What makes Bryant & Stratton College different is that the staff understands the struggles of military life. They know what a PCS is. They understand the stress of deployment and the time constraints that come with being attached to the military. They are also willing to help you navigate those challenges and build a degree program that works with the unique military lifestyle.

Bryant & Stratton College has been named to Victory Media’s list of Military Friendly Schools for the last seven years and as a Top College or University for Vets for the fourth consecutive year.

Degree programs are available both online and at 18 campus locations across four states. Campus offerings are available Monday through Saturday throughout the day and evenings at our campus locations while online classes can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Bryant & Stratton also strives to help veterans and spouses afford their degree program. The $6,000 Salute to Spouses Scholarship is a unique benefit for military spouse students. It can be used in addition to MyCAA and other financial aid opportunities.

There are lots of reasons to say no, to say the time is just not right. Bryant & Stratton College can help you find a way to say, ‘Yes.’

Check out all Bryant & Stratton College at www.bryantstratton.edu  Today is a great day to begin your own back to school planning.

Pages

$6,000 SCHOLARSHIP
For Military Spouses
Apply for the Salute to Spouses scholarship today and begin your education! You’ll be on the way to your dream career.

© 2013 SALUTE TO SPOUSES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED